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Gunsmoke

Buffalo Man

  • Episode aired Jan 11, 1958
  • TV-GTV-G
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
175
YOUR RATING
S3.E18
  • S3
  • E18
All episodes
All
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
James Arness, John Anderson, Patricia Smith, Milburn Stone, and Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke (1955)
  • Western
Doc finds a half-dead man on the side of the road and tells Matt. Matt and Chester ride out to a buffalo hunter's camp but before they get far, the occupants show up not treating them much b... Read allDoc finds a half-dead man on the side of the road and tells Matt. Matt and Chester ride out to a buffalo hunter's camp but before they get far, the occupants show up not treating them much better than the man the doc found.Doc finds a half-dead man on the side of the road and tells Matt. Matt and Chester ride out to a buffalo hunter's camp but before they get far, the occupants show up not treating them much better than the man the doc found.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
175
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ted Post
  • Writers
    • Les Crutchfield(screenplay by)
    • John Meston(story by)
    • Norman MacDonnell(based on the radio series created by)
  • Stars
    • James Arness
    • Dennis Weaver
    • Milburn Stone
Top credits
  • Director
    • Ted Post
  • Writers
    • Les Crutchfield(screenplay by)
    • John Meston(story by)
    • Norman MacDonnell(based on the radio series created by)
  • Stars
    • James Arness
    • Dennis Weaver
    • Milburn Stone
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    James Arness and Milburn Stone in Gunsmoke (1955)
    James Arness and Amanda Blake in Gunsmoke (1955)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Arness
    James Arness
    • Matt Dillonas Matt Dillon
    Dennis Weaver
    Dennis Weaver
    • Chesteras Chester
    Milburn Stone
    Milburn Stone
    • Docas Doc
    Amanda Blake
    Amanda Blake
    • Kittyas Kitty
    Patricia Smith
    Patricia Smith
    • Abbyas Abby
    Jack Klugman
    Jack Klugman
    • Earl Ticksas Earl Ticks
    John Anderson
    John Anderson
    • Ben Sipleas Ben Siple
    Abel Fernandez
    Abel Fernandez
    • Indianas Indian
    Dee Cooper
    Dee Cooper
    • Townsmanas Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Clem Fuller
    Clem Fuller
    • Townsmanas Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Tex Holden
    • Townsmanas Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Fred McDougall
    • Townsmanas Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Ted Smile
    Ted Smile
    • Townsmanas Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ted Post
    • Writers
      • Les Crutchfield(screenplay by)
      • John Meston(story by) (based on the radio series created by)
      • Norman MacDonnell(based on the radio series created by) (uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    Storyline

    Edit
    Doc finds a half-dead man on the side of the road and tells Matt. Matt and Chester ride out to a buffalo hunter's camp but before they get far, the occupants show up not treating them much better than the man the doc found.
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Western
    • Certificate
      • TV-G
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The fight scene between star James Arness and guest star John Anderson in this episode was used as the basis for a famous educational film produced by the American Cinema Editors. The film is still used today as a training exercise for editing students the world over.
    • Quotes

      Chester: Mr. Dillon! Mr. Dillon, it... it's them!

      Matt Dillon: Them? What do you mean?

      Chester: Uh, uh, Ben Siple and that Ticks. They seen Abby, and they grabbed her, and they're just treatin' her somethin' terrible!

    • Soundtracks
      The Old Trail
      by Rex Koury and Glenn Spencer

      Aspen Fair Music, Incorporated (ASCAP)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Big Hate
    Doc Adams rides into Dodge City with a body covered by a blanket. He tells Matt Dillon that he found the dying man out on the prairie. The man had been badly cut in a manner to cause intense suffering.

    Matt and Chester Goode leave Dodge to investigate. The pair come upon a wagon camped in Pawnee territory. They find a frightened woman named Abby hiding in the wagon. She warns them to leave her alone and tells them "He" will beat her if she is seen talking with them. Earl Ticks walks into the camp, and while Matt and Chester are talking with him, Ben Siple sneaks in behind them and captures them.

    Ticks ties Matt and Chester to the wagon. They try to convince Abby to cut them loose, but she is too afraid of Siple's wrath. When Siple sees them talking, he kicks Matt in the head.

    Later, when the people in the encampment hear Pawnee signals in the night, Siple and Ticks flee and leave Matt, Chester, and Abby behind to face whatever fate might await them.

    The talented character actor John Anderson makes the first of twelve Gunsmoke appearances in this story. He plays the Ben Siple character with his usual level of excellence. Siple is another of those totally depraved unredeemable characters that often appeared in John Meston's stories. He is convinced he can do whatever he wants, and no one will stop him. He has surrounded himself with people who share that same belief. The character might be viewed as the anti-Matt Dillon.

    Gifted actor Jack Klugman portrays Earl Ticks in his only Gunsmoke guest role. If Ben Siple is the anti-Matt Dillon, Earl Ticks is Chester's counterpart. He does not seem to share Siple's misanthropy, but he is complicit in Siple's depravity at least by his tolerance of it. The Ticks character lacks the ability to imagine any sort of life other than what partnering with Siple offers.

    Actress Patricia Smith makes the first of two appearances in this story where she portrays Abby, a woman who has only known abuse from the men in her life. Smith returned in Season 6 as a woman who sets her sights on Chester.

    Strong performances by everyone in the cast, taught direction and editing (especially in the famous fight scene), and a first-rate John Meston tale make this episode a must-see even for casual fans. Beware, however, the theme of abuse victims who cannot imagine an existence where they do not face abuse and the portrayal of the abuse -- both graphic and implied -- could make this episode difficult for some to stomach.

    Meston also does a fantastic job of incorporating the disdain many American Indian groups had for white men hunting buffalo into extinction as part of the story.

    This installment does include a curious element that occasionally appears in these early Gunsmoke episodes. Actions that appear to be absolutely criminal are allowed to occur with no legal repercussions. One would think holding people captive, attacking a U. S. Marshal, and mercilessly abusing a woman repeatedly would all be grounds for prosecution.
    helpful•1
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    • wdavidreynolds
    • Jan 21, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 1958 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • CBS Television Network
      • Filmaster Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1
      • 4:3

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